House arrest (without a home) in Tel Aviv!

In a new move by the Israeli authorities, four international activists were recently placed under house arrest in Israel,despite not having a house there. They've had to make do with an Israeli activists address.

The three Brits and a Yank were arrested along with two Palestinians on Friday 21st September in Kufr Qaddoum in the West Bank, Palestine after attending a demonstration and being accused of 'throwing stones' and being in a 'closed military zone.'

Soldiers fired tear gas at protesters and broke windows of a school. The westerners were kicked, beaten and choked by the army before being forced into an army transport vehicle. The two Palestinians who were arrested (brothers Majd Obeid and Abdelateef Obeid) had their wrists bound with tight zipties and they were not allowed to speak to each other. After their arrest they were all taken to a nearby settlement police station. While the internationals were searched, soldiers took Majd and Abdelateef separately into an armoured military vehicle for what they called 'medical examinations.'

One eyewitness said "Racism, sexism and all forms of bigotry is very clear in the Israeli military. One soldier said to a Brit whilst motioning at the brothers, "Don't you have enough of those in your country?" When they were taken from the police station the Internationals demanded to know where they were being taken, a soldier turned to them and said, "Shut the fuck up! I will fuck you up! You want to go to prison? They will rape you there!""

While the western activists faced a short court hearing (conducted entirely in Hebrew) and a further seven days detention, the two Palestinians are now looking at twelve to twenty months in 'administrative detention'.

“We suspect that the shift of the Israei public to the right and the birth of these fascist gangs is not spontaneous, but is a result of decades of incitement by the government. This incitement escalated quickly, and now Israeli Jews who criticize their government are attacked as well. This violence is also supported by the police. I can’t say right now what is going on and where we are headed to, but things aren’t pretty here.” David - Israeli activist